we set out in search of magic

hearts light and filled with promise.

while the tender embrace of home receded behind us

a once distant place of belonging lay invitingly on the path ahead

and we recognised this purest of gifts -

of time

and of space

to ourselves.

it was there in the heat of the summer,

surrounded by sandstone and the song of sunbirds,

that we retraced the steps of our heritage

through gullies and old cedar groves

and we found something greater than us -

standing where they stood

a few decades apart

on one path.

it was there in the peace of the valley,

wandering in the presence of giants,

that we climbed castles and walked on the sky

to the tune of the whispering river below

and we found awe and wonder -

searching for nothing in particular

and yet everything

at once.

it was there high above the clouds,

held by nothing but the gentle caress of the wind,

that every step further from home

became a step closer to you

and we found each other in silent praise for this blessing -

to love a brother

and a friend

as one.

it was everywhere - on sweeping savannah plains,

in the serenity of the forest, and in the bliss of the ocean,

that we laughed with abundance

beneath bright blue skies

and we found timelessness -

celebrating in each departure

this continual homecoming

to one another.

and while I have wept tears of sorrow and tears of joy

think not for a second that it is over,

for we are still travelling on that same road;

only now the future is brighter from the golden glow of memories

forever forged into the fabric of our bond -

a bond,

my dear brother,

eternal.